‘Easy. Say the deal’s off with Yong Hwa.’ Taecyeon’s hand quivered as he reached for his BlackBerry. But…Yong Hwa said he loved her…I can’t…No…But…Yoona…Taecyeon couldn’t be the bad guy here…he just couldn’t. He sighed in defeat as he dropped his hand that was hovering over his cellphone. But Yong Hwa owes you his life…No, not yet Taecyeon. This was partially your fault…You gave her up in the first place.

~~~~

<>

                “Taec, you need to help me…The loan sharks…Some of them are gangsters…”

                “Yong Hwa, I can’t help…I have no money…Why don’t you ask your parents instead?” Taecyeon shook his head as he saw his beaten up best friend appear in front of him on the middle of the street.

                “You know I can’t ask my parents…Fine. I’m going.” Yong Hwa glared at Taecyeon before limping off in the other direction.

                “Mianhae Yong Hwa…Mianhae…” Taecyeon whispered.

~~~~

                ‘Taec, help! The loan sharks are here…They’re surrounding me…All gangsters.’ Yong Hwa whispered into his phone.

                ‘I’m coming Yong Hwa! Wait for me.’  Even though it was already midnight, Taecyeon dropped his phone and raced over to Yong Hwa’s apartment complex. It was true, gangsters were everywhere, but Taecyeon put a brave front and managed to squeeze inside.

                “THANK GOD TAEC! You practically saved my life!” Yong Hwa heaved an exasperated sigh.

                “Save the small talk. Let’s leave!” Taecyeon gestured to Yong Hwa’s back door.

                “Neh…But they’ll notice…We need to hurry!”

                “I don’t know the way, you better lead.” Taecyeon shoved Yong Hwa out his apartment.

                “Neh!” Those ten minutes in Taecyeon’s life was by far the most dangerous. Maybe it was because gangsters were practically lurking everywhere, or he was in the back protecting Yong Hwa.

                “Hey! You two! Stop running and stay where you are!” A husky voice shouted, causing more voices to sound.

                “Ignore them Yong Hwa, keep running! Don’t turn back!” But it was too late. Yong Hwa was a curious person, and he turned back to face the gangsters behind Taecyeon. Wrong move. Because the gangsters realized it was Yong Hwa, and began to load their hand-guns. Another problem. Taecyeon was in between the guns and the gangster’s main target. The third problem, gangsters will do anything to get to their main target. The main leader loaded his gun faster than the others, shooting in Yong Hwa’s direction, almost forgetting Taecyeon was in the way of his main target. Taecyeon, slowly turned his head back just in time to see a bullet penetrate his back. Taecyeon slumped down on the floor, lying motionless, his lips pale due to the immense loss of blood.

                “Taec…stay awake! You have a long life to live…You’re strong. You got this. Taec…” Yong Hwa slapped Taecyeon’s face to keep him awake.

                “Yoona?” A name escaped Taecyeon’s lips.

                “Police. Don’t move!” Sirens sounded, more sirens surrounded the gangsters and the two best friends. Soon enough, the ambulance carried Taecyeon to the hospital.

                “Sorry sir, you’re not allowed to go any further.” Someone pushed Yong Hwa away from the OR as Taecyeon was pushed through the operating room.

                “Mianhae Taecyeon…” One single tear drop rolled down Yong Hwa’s bruised face.

~~~~

                “Doctor, how is my friend doing?” Yong Hwa approached the surgeon who had finished operating.

                “We saved him just in time…Luckily he was shot nowhere near important organs, so he’ll be fine. He just lost a lot of blood. Don’t visit him till later on this week. He needs his rest.”

                “Kamsahamnida!” Yong Hwa bowed respectfully to the doctor still clad in scrubs.

~~~~

                “Mianhae Taecyeon…It’s all my fault…You could have died.” Yong Hwa clasped onto Taecyeon’s warm hand.

                “The important thing is that I’m alive. Don’t be such an idiot, crying. Pft. Only babies cry.” Taecyeon wiped off his best friend’s tears.

                “N-N-Neh. But for sure, I owe you my life. No doubt about that.” Yong Hwa nodded swallowing back his tears.

~~~~

<>

                It was one year since Taecyeon got shot, but the two best friends never mentioned about that incident ever again. I got the perfect plan! I just need Ara’s help…

                ‘Hello?’

                ‘Hey Ara, it’s Taecyeon.’

                ‘Yeah, what’s up?’

                ‘I need your help.’

                ‘Yoona?’

                ‘Neh.’

                ‘Alright.’

~~~~

                “Hey Ara. I think you should get a boyfriend so we could go on a double date!!” Yoona smiled at Ara who was eating her daily vanilla-flavored yogurt.

                “Neh…” Ara continued breezing through the magazine in front of her.

                “Are you even listening to me?” Yoona asked, irritated.

                “Neh.”

                “What are you even reading?” Yoona stole Ara’s magazine, looking at the front page. It was her and Taecyeon posing as a couple, holding hands in a meadow of flowers.

                “This is the newest edition of the GGG Entertainment Company magazine?”

                “Neh.”

                “Did it get published yet?”

                “Neh. Why are you even wondering?”

                “Just cause…hey, but did you hear what I said?”

                “What did you say?” Ara grabbed the magazine from Yoona’s hands.

                “Hey! I was going to read that!”

                “Whatever.” Ara stuck out her tongue. “So what did you want to tell me?”

                “We should go on a double date!!! I need to set you up…” Yoona rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

                “Oh yeah? And where are you going to find a date for me?”

                “Will you go if I find a date for you?” Yoona smiled mischievously.

                “Yeah. Sure.” Ara laughed sarcastically but Yoona didn’t seem to hear the sarcasm loaded into her tone.

                “Yay! Then it’s settled. Tonight you’re coming with me and Yong Hwa.” Yoona clapped her hands happily like a little child.

                “WHAT?” Ara choked on her water.

                “Yeah, I already talked it out with Yong Hwa. He’s bringing one of his friends from his company…I heard he wasn’t bad looking at all, he’s cute, but don’t tell Yong Hwa I said anything about that…He’ll kill me!” Yoona pressed her index finger onto her lips.

                “I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU SET A BLIND DATE FOR ME! WITHOUT MY PERMISSION!! AIGOO!”

                “You gave your consent like thirty seconds ago.” Yoona pointed out.

                “AIGOO!” Ara face palmed herself.

                “Now go pretty yourself up. Yong Hwa’s picking us up in an hour.”

~~~~

                “Hi ladies…Looking beautiful tonight…Especially Yoona!” Yong Hwa gave a slight peck on Yoona’s cheek.

                “Hehehehe!” Yoona blushed as she made herself comfortable in the front seat. Oh Taecyeon…You better put your plan into action soon…If you even have a plan…She’s falling deeper and deeper. Ara thought to herself as she leaned her head against the window.

~~~~

                 “We’re here.” Yong Hwa threw his car keys to the valet escorting Yoona to the fancy restaurant, but pausing in his tracks to wait for Ara to get out.

                “Everybody,” Yong Hwa gestured for Ara and Yoona to enter the restaurant. Ara scanned the scene, but somewhere near the corner of the restaurant she recognized someone familiar…No, it can’t be him, no way. Impossible.

                “Here we are…” Yong Hwa led the two ladies, pulling out a chair for Yoona when they stopped in front of Ara’s blind date.

                “Ara, this is Choi Minho, he’s one of my best friends. Minho, this is Go Ara.” Yong Hwa motioned to the empty seat next to Yoona where Ara would be sitting.

                “Hi…” Minho pulled out a set for Ara which she nodded politely in return, pursing her lips. It is him…He changed…So much…

                “So this must be the famousYoona that Yong Hwa keeps on talking about.” Minho smiled brightly at Yoona, after taking his seat across from Ara.

                “Man, stop hitting on my girlfriend.” Yong Hwa hissed into Minho’s ear, protective of Yoona.

                “I was joking buddy! Relax.” After everybody finished the dessert course, Yoona and Yong Hwa mysteriously disappeared leaving behind Ara and Minho. Ara muttered a string of curses, tensing up. She looked around awkwardly, fiddling with the napkin on her lap. Well this is awkward… When Yong Hwa and Yoona didn’t appear after five minutes, Ara announced, “I’ll be going now…”

                “But don’t you have to pay for the bill Ms. Go?” Minho sneered, stopping Ara in her tracks. Her ex-boyfriend had changed so much…That distaste in his voice…It was obvious that it hurt Ara so much, breaking her heart into pieces, one by one.

~~~~

<>

                “Ara, how many times did I tell you to stop hiring random people, especially when they’re incapable of doing anything?” Ara’s father demanded, throwing a stack of papers in front of his daughter.

                “Appa…”

                “Like for example. This stupid Choi Minho. He didn’t even finish college! A dropout. What a shame.” Ara’s father shook his head pointing at the employee folder in front of Ara.

                “Appa…”

                “Don’t even ‘appa’ me. I can’t believe it…If only Hyomin was here she could have known what to do…Except someone freaking lost her little sister.” Ara’s father glared at Ara, not even caring about his daughter’s feelings.

                “WELL, I’M SORRY FOR NOT BEING THE DAUGHTER YOU WANT ME TO BE. BECAUSE I’M NOT HYOMIN. I’M NOT. IF YOU HAD CARED ABOUT ME, YOU WOULD HAVE NOTICED THAT I LOVED MY LITTLE SISTER. IT WASN’T MY FAULT YOU AND UMMA WERE ON THE USUAL BUSINESSTRIP. IT WASN’T MY FAULT THAT DAY WHEN WE WERE AT THE PARK I WAS LIGHT-HEADED. DO YOU THINK I DON’T REGRET THAT DAY? AND YOU KNOW WHY I HIRED CHOI MINHO? DO YOU REALLY? BECAUSE I LOVE HIM APPA. LOVE. IT’S A WORD YOU NEED TO LEARN, BECAUSE YOU DON’T LOVE ME. I KNOW YOU DON’T. OH. AND YOU KNOW WHAT? I QUIT. YOU CAN DISOWN ME, STRIP ME OF THE MONEY I RIGHTFULLY EARNED, BUT AT LEAST I HAVE SOMETHING YOU DON’T.” Ara paused, taking a deep breath. Finally, she got to tell her father how she really felt, bottled up after all these years. “YES, THAT’S RIGHT. AT LEAST I KNOW HOW TO LOVE.” Ara glared at her father with disgust and hatred.

                “…I will make you pay for it Ara. You will forget him…Choi Minho? Not good for you…No, not at all…”

                “Too bad. I love Minho, and I’m planning to marry him soon.” Ara furiously snatched her purse, stomping out of the office, until…

                “If you really loved Hyomin, then you better stop right now.” Ara’s father called out, calmly sitting down in his leather chair. Ara froze, slowly turning back to face her father.

                “Your Appa is getting old…It’s time I retire, you will have to take over very soon. Because of this, you have to dump Minho, whether you love him or not.” Ara’s father drummed his fingers on the wooden table, looking up at his daughter.

                “Why should I do that? I love Min-“

                “Are you honestly willing to disown your Appa, leaving him alone without anyone to take care of? Now that your Umma is dead, your younger sister disappeared…Really Ara? Consider it again.” He smiled bitter sweetly, remembering the dark memories of his wife and youngest daughter.

                “I-“ Ara closed . It was true…how could she be so heartless dumping her father? But Minho…I’ll just have to explain to him. He’ll understand…

                “That’s right. Now about Choi Minho…Ah, your love. Dump him out of the blue, cut all ties with him. He’ll get over you faster rather than you slowly explaining your situation…” Ara’s father glanced up at his daughter who looked confused. “If you honestly loved him, break all ties with him. Rather than spending his entire life devoting himself to you. No, Ara, you know what’s right. Dump him.”

                “I know what to do. I’m not a baby anymore.” Ara bitterly retorted before stomping off.

~~~~

                “I’m breaking up with you.” Ara mustered all her power to say those five words to Minho.

                “What? Why? I thought we were going to get marr-“ Minho asked, bewildered.

                “No. It’s not working out.”

                “But you loved me, I love-“

                “I WAS LYING. YOU ARE SO DUMB MINHO. MAYBE THAT’S WHY YOU’RE A COLLEGE DROP OUT. I HIRED YOU BECAUSE I FELT BAD FOR YOU. YOU’RE NOT WORTH MY TIME. I WAS JUST PLAYING WITH YOUR FEELINGS. I HAVE TONS OF OTHER GUYS WHO WANT TO DATE ME. DON’T YOU GET IT? IT’S OVER.” Ara screamed at Minho, but clearly she was hurting inside. She left her ex-boyfriend, wiping tears pouring out from her hazel eyes.

~~~~

<>

                It had been two years ago since the ex-couple departed, and now they’re here, on a blind date their best friends set up for them. Was it fate? Maybe.

                “So how are you doing really? I’ve been doing pretty well, especially after you left me.” Minho laughed bitterly.

                “Fairly well.” Ara didn’t bother glancing back at Minho for if she did, she would break down.

                “Hm…have you been on any dates since you dumped me? I have…some of them were better than the ones we had…Maybe you were right. I wasn’t worth your time…” Minho snickered.

                “No…” Ara muttered her breath.

                “What was that? You know, that day when my buddy, Yong Hwa called me if I would like to go to a blind date, I was like, ‘sure, why not?’ It’s funny how things turn out, especially how we’re paired up now.”

                “It’s true. I haven’t been on any dates since I dumped you.” Ara faced Minho. Here it goes. Mind as well clear everything up, then I can move on…Hopefully. Ara sighed, taking her original seat, across from Minho.

                “Mmmmm.”

                “You know why Minho?”

                “No, but I’d be happy to hear why. We’re here anyways, mind as well.”

                “Because I still love you. And you know why I dumped you?” Ara chuckled bitterly, pausing for Minho to respond. He was frozen in spot, as if he couldn’t move a muscle. “Appa reminded me of Umma and Hyomin. If I left him to marry you, I would be heartless. Umma died, Hyomin disappeared, and I couldn't leave him. I was his only family member left, in fact, I pitied him. Yes, I should have thought about your feelings, I was stubborn back then. I could have not obeyed Appa, explaining my situation, because I didn’t. I wanted you to get over me because I saw myself as a heartless monster. You still had plenty of years ahead of you, but Appa? His time was about to end soon. Neh, I strongly disliked Appa, but he was the one who raised me after all. And a year after we broke up, Appa passed away. Mianhae Minho, for everything. I’m glad you found other people that are better than me. Mianhae.” Ara wiped her tears trickling out from her eyes, one by one. She stood up, grabbing her bag, carelessly tossing several bills on the table before leaving. Everybody in the restaurant stared at Minho and Ara, but looked away when Ara passed their tables. By the time Ara hailed a taxi, somebody grabbed her wrist, leading her further down the street. Ara wasn’t able to see, but when she was below a street lamp, she saw it was Minho.

                “Stop it! What are you doing Minho! Leave me alone!” Ara struggled to set her wrist free, but Minho had a steel grasp on her wrist.

                “Stop! Let me-“ Minho crushed his lips onto Ara’s, which left her shocked, but she recovered. Ara was already kissing Minho back, without realizing. After all, it was one of her instincts to kiss back, but she shoved Minho away from her after five seconds of kissing.

                “No. I’m not worth your time. You deserve someone better than me.” Ara mumbled, but Minho pulled her into a tight hug, whispering into her ear.

                “That’s not true. I still love you.” 

~~~~

hi everyone!! (: another update! one day after the other! kekeke^^ i'm trying my best to update as fast as possible, because i'm a reader myself, and i know how everyone feels, waiting for such long updates!  >.< ANYWAYS. so here you go! i decided ara's boyfriend would be choi minho, because he got voted the most! speaking of which, THANKS EVERYONE FOR VOTING!! :D YUP. so all of ara's past is revealed, and i decided it would be boring if "from the past" only focused on taecyeon, yoona, and yong hwa's stories, so i included minho's and ara's story. basically, this entire chapter is dedicated to revealing pasts. next chapter will be focused on taecyeon, yoona, and yong hwa! i just figured it would be better to clear up ara's past rather than having to reveal it later on. :P ENJOY! i'll update possibly tomorrow, or maybe later on this evening! :D THANKS FOR ALL THE COMMENTS AND SUBSCRIPTIONS ONCE AGAIN. I REALLY APPRECIATE IT!! YOU GUYS ROCK! no joke!! (:

p.s. CHECK OUT THE SOUNDTRACKK! :D it's four songs..it may seem really little, but those songs are perfect for this story! especially katy perry's "thinking of you." (: if you think there are other songs that are perfect for this soundtrack, please tell me! either comment below, message me, post on my wall, it doesn't matter!! (: